Thanks and Giving

Been doing lots of small upgrades and decorating things around the house but every time I sit down to write, I realize I'm short a picture and the light isn't right (or I have a baby asleep on my lap - that's a pretty common excuse these days). So allow me a post of a slightly different nature and a question for you, my dear reader (as I assume there is just one of you).

I've been blogging as a "new" homeowner now for over 7 years, so I probably should remove the "new" from the moniker. But there is never really a stage where any homeowner feels like they know it all and don't need help or are *done* and don't need to continue to work on things. It just doesn't happen. I think that what starts to remove the newness of the thing (besides having lived somewhere along enough that the things you upgraded or replaced need upgrading or replacing again...) is that you build a team of people you can call when things get rough or when you need a little extra help. The plumber, the electrician, the roofer - these folks come and fix things that we can't, no matter how "experienced" we are. The chimneysweep and the energy company that comes to service our boiler annually - they keep everything running. We are grateful that in many cases, we know who we can call. Or, if we don't, our neighbors do. And don't even get me started on how incredibly grateful we are for our amazing neighbors.

This year we needed a little extra help, with a new baby and a messy toddler that takes up all our free time (because of course we'd much rather spend time with her than spend it cleaning, raking, etc.). So we hired regular help to clean our house and keep our yard looking good (ok, maybe not good, maybe just not embarrassing). And we are grateful they are there and we are grateful that, for the moment anyway, we can afford it.

So what should I do to express my gratitude? I'm always afraid that any extra money will be the wrong amount of money: maybe so little as to seem stingy. "Stuff" or cards or homemade gifts seems like it might be unwanted, just unwelcome junk or calories. Is it better to give something/anything extra that expresses how thankful I am to have their help? How do you put a price tag on "thank you"?

So many leaves - where would we be without help?!

And this is not to mention all the other non-home-related helpers in my life: massage therapists, financial planners, teachers, nurses, etc that sometimes go the extra mile.

So tell us your tipping/giving ideas. What has worked for you and what hasn't? What would you want to receive?

Giving Thanks

I'm a few days late but I didn't want to miss the chance to give thanks this year. We have so many things to be thankful for - amazing family and friends who never fail to help us with so much around the house, the fact that we are fortunate enough to be able to call in the professionals when needed, our health, and the simple fact that we have a roof over our head and food in our pantry.

This year though, I have one thing I am especially thankful for. Readers of this blog will appreciate our hard fought victory on this one: WE HAVE HEAT! Not just in some places and not just a little. For the first time since we moved in, each and every baseboard gets evenly, toasty warm. It is so nice not to struggle to keep the house at a comfortable temperature (admittedly, our "comfortable" temperature is a little colder than most people's). We no longer feel a weird current of air between our living room and our hallway, as the rooms that didn't heat stole all the warm air from the rooms that did. I am so grateful that this winter, we won't be forced to wrap ourselves in blankets and sweaters. Though we can if we want to, of course. It will be so nice to choose whether we want to huddle under blankets or not - and actually have the temperature respond accordingly.